African American Identity

Comments (0)

Transcript of African American Identity

Double click anywhere & add an idea African American Indentity Crisis

By: Angelina Howard THESIS STATEMENT:

The complicated history of African Americans creates a unique identity crisis that modern writers have explored giving not only historical context for this problem, but offers a solution of hope as well. Multiracial Identity Finding out that your past includes two different races can change your view on things.

Being an African American with a multiracial background makes it hard for multiracial individuals to identify who they are as an individual.

James McBride

mixed with black and Jewishmother married two black men “…I began to notice something about my mother, that she looked nothing like the other kids mothers. In fact, she looked more like my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Alexander who was white”

“…I never knew where my mother was from- where she was born, who her parents were. When I asked she’d say, ‘God made me.’ When I asked if she was white, she’d say, ‘I’m light-skinned,’ and change the subject."

People need to know about their past in order to figure out who they are. James McBride’s mother Ruth hid her past from her son because she was trying to run away from who she was, while at the same time James was trying to run towards who he was. Ruth’s attempt to erase her past made it hard for James to understand the other side of him.

“There’s such a big difference between being dead and alive, I told myself, and the greatest gift that anyone can give anyone else is life. And the greatest sin a person can do is take away that life” -Ruth McBride Deborah Bennett

complex network of individuals, settings, and circumstances that constitute our heritage. Whether or not you are aware of your ancestors, your family's country of origin, the cultural history of your people, or the trials faced by the people responsible for bringing you into the world, these forces have had a hand in shaping your values Most of the time multiracial individuals are already labeled to a certain race. Jen Bhagia Lewis

modern day multiracial identity crisis -When surveys as me to check one bubble to define my ethnicity, I don't check "African-American" or "Caucasian," I check other because I am not one or the other. I am both. At this point in time, they should allow you to check more than one!

-I hate when I'm referred to as, "white washed" because I was raised by my caucasian mother. I love both the black and white I'm made of and my race has never been an issue for me. What I can't stand is when speech, clothing, and other societal interests are based upon skin color. It is modern discrimination and should be recognized. Knowing your "slave" past is important slave rapes “African American women had to endure the threat and the practice of sexual exploitation. There were no safeguards to protect them from being sexually stalked, harassed, or raped…”

not feeling worthy or feel like they deserve better.

can't trace their history back History is repeating itselfconviction ratescan't get jobs=less of a mam Feeling inferior Gentlemen of the jury, look at this-this-this boy…I almost said man, but I can’t say man. Oh, sure, he has reached the age of twenty-one, when we, civilized men, consider the male species has reached manhood, but would you call this – this- this a man? No, not I. I would call it a boy and a fool. (Gaines 7) EDUCATING BLACKSblack aren't suppose to be smarter than whitesHBCUs “I honestly couldn’t think of a minority off the top of my head in a position of power like that who didn’t attend one of the “prestigious” PWIs for higher education. And yes, that is a problem African American Stereotypes Aldolph rupp (former KU basketball coach) “Blacks have a clear physical advantage over whites because [of] their years of slavery made them genetically stronger and more athletic, but they'll never be great doctors and lawyers. They don't have the mental capacity for something like that." CONCLUSION tHE THINGS aFRICAN aMERICANS WEREN'T THROUGH IN THE PAST AFFECT THEM TODAY.LUCKILY WE HAVE WRITERS WHO PUSH TO BRING THESE ISSUES TO LIGHT TO OFFER A BETTER SOLUTION.